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Any point in directory submissions?

by happyatom
8 replies
Is there any point submitting to directories? It's extremely time-consuming because of CAPTCHA and the need to create reciprocal links and the results I have had are virtually non-existent.

I was in the position of having submitted a domain to over a hundred directories - I based on the highest page rank - and did not engage in any other activity. So this was a perfect test to see if directory listing had any effect - and no it didn't. No backlinks showing up in Google at all.

And if I was in Google's position, I wouldn't give any weight at all to a directory. My listing is just a link that I create to my own site. In the past directories (like Yahoo's early days) may have served a purpose - but not any more. They are simply lists of self-promoting links.

Surely the time is better spent getting links in places that humans may actually go (does anyone actually use a directory). On the one hand you get traffic and on the other, Google is likely to think it is worth more.

Or am I just trying to get out of a really tedious job?
#directory #point #submissions
  • Profile picture of the author Peter Adamson
    I have yet to read anything written by a recognised seo expert that puts any weight at all on directories. However, I would not place any importance on the backlinks not showing up in google. They never do. See:
    <http://www.warriorforum.com/adsense-ppc-seo-discussion-forum/108231-why-backlink-checking-simply-impossible-video.html#post1026416>

    I place more importance on bookmarks and web 2.0 content as these are seen as grassroots votes by every day people.
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    • Profile picture of the author Christophe Young
      I agree. I submitted by site to several directories and it didn't seem to do much. Traffic was minimal. I don't know of anyone who goes to directories
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  • Profile picture of the author Quang Van
    Gotta do it on a massive scale. Automated, or a paid service. It'll give you a little bit of Google Juice.

    Doing it by hand is def. a waste of time.
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    • Profile picture of the author Carlton Johnson
      Originally Posted by Quang Van View Post

      Gotta do it on a massive scale. Automated, or a paid service. It'll give you a little bit of Google Juice.

      Doing it by hand is def. a waste of time.
      I agree. Doing it by hand is madness. I used to try and do it by hand but it is just far to time consuming. I do still do it and use it as part of my overall SEO strategy. I think it is a little piece of the pie but over time all these little pieces add up.

      I would never do it by hand any more. I use directorymaximizer to do my submissions, but there are plenty of services out there.

      It's the sort of thing that I wouldn't lose sleep over if it didn't get done and I definitely wouldn't do it myself, but at the moment it still has its uses and over time can give you that little extra push. But as Quang Van said you need to do it on quite a large scale.

      If you don't have the time or money to do it, then don't worry about it, focus on other things because the truth is it probably won't benefit you to much in the here and now or even in the immediate future, so if your other things are working better, then just do them and when you have a little money, just outsource the task.

      The time maybe coming soon when there is absolutely know benefit of doing this at all, but I don't think we are quite there yet. And actually a lot of so called SEO experts do say that they do it as a matter of course and it is part of their overall SEO strategy. Again, just a little piece of the pie.
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      • Profile picture of the author cgallagher93
        Directory submissions definetely have an effect in search engine rankings and long-term traffic...

        ...The problem is they intergrate with SEO. Therefore, they're not going to have an effect unless your domain gains "authority" from Google.

        To do this, you need to be posting your links on high PR sites such as YouTube, WikiPedia and other authoratitive sites.

        In my opinion, directory submissions have virtually no effect at all unless you develop your own long-term traffic strategy.
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        • Profile picture of the author happyatom
          I hear what you guys are saying about it being part of a bigger picture.

          But given that resources are not infinite, why not spend them (time or money if somebody else is doing it) on something that has real, immediate and long-term, benefit. I just cannot see how a directory listing (with the obvious exception of dmoz) in one of the "thousands" of directory sites that nobody ever visits is worth anything when compared against a link from a site with genuine content.

          If you were developing a search engine algorithm now, what would be the logic of including such links - all they indicate is that somebody knows how to use automated software. They are no indication of real content.

          Without some rationale for why the link should count, I don't see why Google would give it any weight.
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  • Profile picture of the author dreamtab
    Directory submission is one of the process in SEO. You may not see the results in a day or week. It may take several months for you to see the results. Be patience and keep it going.
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  • Profile picture of the author sf_Imtiaz
    Directory submission is not useless, dreamtab is absolutely right its a process in SEO. 100 directory submission won't do nothing. You've to do it on a massive scale. 4 to 5 thousand directory submission would sustain the PR of your site in the long run.
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